It took days, but we eventually made it to our destination. It was a run-down old house with a barn out back. Surprisingly enough, Morgana said she used to live there. As we pulled up to the house, Morgana started turning the horses back into cows. Next, she split the carriage back into the three ranger statues. For some reason, the two "fruity" ones were in different positions than I remembered. I would have to think about it later though, as Maedel was coughing and hacking.
"She'll be OK, just a side effect of all the magic that's been used on her." Morgana said.
"Oh, OK then, that's reassuring. Thanks for that! Now I know that the reason I feel like I got run over is you!" Maedel shouted.
"Calm down. The built up magic is accentuating your emotions negatively." Morgana said.
"Really? And here I was thinking it was the whole being made of wood and having to help the woman who did that to me!" Maedel continued.
"Maedel, please calm down, we all need to rest." I said.
"Fine, you two rest. I'll sleep in the barn with the rest of Morgana's 'built up magic.'" Maedel said as she stomped off.
"She'll be OK. It'll just take time." Morgana said.
"Morgana, you realize that there is an army looking for you and that jar right? We could very well die. Maedel and I could be charged for helping you." I said.
"Look... I know. I'm really not in a position to ask favors, but I think we all need to just sit down and think for a while." Morgana said.
"And what about Connie?" I asked.
"I'll deal with her later. First, I need to get this place put back together. You can have the guest room. It's about the size of your old one, but so are all the other rooms here." Morgana said as she walked behind the house, no doubt trying to cast some spell to fix her old home.
I walked into the house, and was amazed. It had three rooms, a bedroom, a kitchen with a couch in it, and another bedroom. I had known Morgana for around a month now, probably more, and I never suspected she would have come from a place like this. She always seemed larger than life and witty. This was the kind of place a peasant turned down because it was too small and broken. As I walked through, the paint started to fix itself, meaning that Morgana was already at work outside. I went into the kitchen to see what she had. All I found was a bottle of wine and some biscuits. I grabbed the wine and two wooden cups and went out to the barn. The barn was twice the size of one of the rooms, which still made it a bit snug. The cows didn't seem to mind, but Maedel looked like she could roll off the ledge of the loft at any moment. I climbed up and sat next to her.
"Wine?" I offered.
"Sure." Maedel said. She was still angry, but at least she was responding. I poured half the bottle into her cup and the other half into mine.
"I don't get it Sara." She said after taking a sip, "Why do you go along with what Morgana does?"
"Because... I'm not sure actually. At first, I was just too shocked to stop her. Now though... Maedel, as hard as it is for you to believe, I do think she cares for us somewhat." I said.
"Yeah, cares enough to put us through hell every day." Maedel said as she continued to drink.
"Maedel, think about it. She listened to me when I asked her to give you life again, and she didn't think twice about letting you keep your mobility." I said.
"You're right Sara, I should be grateful that she stole my life, but then let me keep small parts of it." Maedel said. I could see tears start to fall into her wine.
"Look at it this way, she brought us with. She cares enough that she didn't want us to die back in the castle. And don't give me any talk about my just being useful, she was just handed another princess. This one even has hordes of men out searching for her minutes after she got here." I said.
"Sara... I can't accept it. At least not now. She took too much from me to forgive already. Time may heal all wounds, but I need more to heal properly." Maedel said.
"I understand." I said.
"You know, it's funny. I've had problems in the past, and whenever someone said that to me, I didn't believe them. Here though, I think you're right. You must be hurting as much as I am right now." Maedel said. I think the worst I ever felt through all the time I had been with Morgana was right there, because I knew Maedel was wrong. She had lost so much, and after my time with Morgana, I had realized how little I lost. My father never really cared for me, always considered my younger brother to be the most important. My mother loved me, but she passed away when I was young, and my father married again. My stepmother was a slut, and it wouldn't surprise me if she had actually been a prostitute at some point. She didn't understand me at all. My brother was the angel my father thought him to be. Thank goodness both of us were from the same mother, or father would have cared for me even less. My brother though, he loved me, and I loved him back. Either of us would likely lay down our lives for each other. Unfortunately, since he was the heir, he was often too busy to be with me. So, in the end, Morgana had given me something even fate couldn't. She gave me a family.
True, it was only a family in the loosest sense. The three of us were more like sisters than anything traditional but we were still close. Morgana was like the oldest, smarter, wittier, hornier, and yet still protective of us. Maedel was like the middle child, having to fight for a place in the world and constantly arguing with the oldest. I, for a change, was the youngest. My sisters cared for me deeply, showing it in different ways, but still showing it. And for once in my life, for one gleaming moment at the end of a long apathy, I was happy. I knew that, as far as my new "family" was concerned, I was an angel.